NEC rejects Akoonyatse for VP Tech

The football loving nation of Botswana is set to wait longer for the position of Vice President Technical to be filled.

Since the departure of Ernest Nthobelang, there has been uncertainty over the matter with members of the Botswana Football Association’s (BFA) National Executive Committee (NEC) divided on who to appoint. Information emerging from the association now suggests that who will replace Nthobelang will not be known until after a meeting scheduled for November.

The BFA president Tebogo Sebego and his Vice President Administration Tariq Babitseng had already named their preferred VP Technical, requesting that the rest of the committee endorse additional member Basadi Akoonyatse. Much to the two leaders’ disappointment, the other NEC members rejected Akoonyatse at their last meeting, preferring that the net be cast wider to allow for more deserving people to be appointed.

In what shocked the other NEC members - a source close to the matter told BG Sport - Sebego and Babitseng actually told the committee that Akoonyatse would be the next VP Technical. The NEC members learnt at the meeting that the two leaders had actually met Akoonyatse before, to offer her the position which she had allegedly accepted.

This angered other members who immediately questioned her technical knowhow as they only know her as a physiotherapist. “It will be suicidal for the association to appoint Akoonyatse. Overseeing local club coaches and supervising the senior national team coach and junior team coaches, as well as scrutinizing their reports are some of the tasks that will definitely overwhelm her,” one source said. After rejecting the president’s choice, the NEC members are said to have preferred that at least five candidates be invited to bring in their credentials with a view of choosing from them.

As VP Technical, Nthobelang chaired a six-man national technical committee that included Stephen Phetlhe , Dr Rrenyane Dikole, Michael Gaborone, Matshidiso Kowa, Sepheko Motlhagodi and Losika Keatlholetswe. Some have thus suggested that they rather bring in Phetlhe who deputized Nthobelang, arguing that he actually had the technical expertise needed to fill the void.

But those in Sebego’s corner are said to be wary of casting the net wide as the person who might be appointed could add to the numbers that won’t support them where voting may have to be used to make decisions. Already it is said Sebego and Babitseng are slowly losing their grip as some pro-Sebego   members are now turning their backs on him with one already having threatened to pass a motion of no confidence on him at the same meeting.

The said member is said to have lamented the way things are run at the association. Commentators on the BFA leadership are already calling on Sebego to find someone who commands great reputation and who cannot only neutralize their factions but would also help win back government’s trust on the association. The BFA relationship with government is said to be currently on a low, and other stakeholders are said to be losing trust in the association. They add that while Sebego can be a good leader, it was his inner circle that might lead to his demise.

They therefore have called on him to emulate Philip Makgalemele who during his era as BFA president had surrounded himself with strong people. “His chance is now to bring in a reputable person. Trying to force in people who will be self-serving may just lead to his downfall,” one observer added. NEC was supposed to meet next week but is now expected to meet next month as their meeting had to be postponed because of the general election.